Improvement in railway axle-boxes



Patented May 16, 1871'.

humus dwm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN SUTHERLAND, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY AXLE-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 114,877, dated May 16,1871.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN B. SUTHERLAND,

of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have inventeda new and useful Improvementin Railway Axle-Boxes; and I do declare thatthe following is a true and accurate description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, and being a part of this specification, in which Figure1 is a perspective view of my improved box with the door raised. Fig. 2is a similar view of the same closed. Fig. 3 shows the box with the doorremoved. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the door with its recess inoutline; and Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the door raised, with theslides in section.

Like letters refer to like parts in each figure.

This invention has for its object the construction of railway axle-boxesin such amannor that their doors or covers cannot be removed from themwhile being opened for filling or packing the boxes, and that when thedoors are closed the entrance of dust will be effectually precluded.

The invention consists in providing the inclined face of the box with aflange or guide at each side of the opening, wedging as it descends, inwhich flanges a door or cover is inserted, wedging at the edges tocorrespond with the guides, so that when it is dropped to close it willpresent no openings for the entrance of dust to the interior of the box;also, in providing one or both of the guides with a lateral recess nearthe top, into which the lower corner of the door is inserted to hold itup when necessary, and in providing the rear face of the door with avertical recess, into which is inserted a stud, projecting from andsecuredto the top of the box in such a manner that the door can never beentirely withdrawn from the guides without removing said stud.

In the drawing, A represents a cast-iron axle-box, having its face orend inclined inward toward the top.

At either side of the opening, in the face thereof, is molded a flangeor guide, a, beveled or wedging from top to bottom. Near the top of theguide is a recess or offset, b, Fig. 5. B is the cover or door, fittingthe width of the guides, and having its side edges beveled to conformwith the divergence of the guides, as shown at c, Fig. 4. The door iscast with a vertical recess or groove, (1, in its rear face, and with alug, e, on its outer face, for convenience in raising it.

After the door has been inserted between the guides a stud, G, is boltedor otherwise secured to the top of the box in such a way that it willproject into the groove cl, which is not continuous throughout theheight of the door, but terminates near the bottom thereof. When it isnecessary to get access to the interior of the box, the attendant liftsthe door as high as the stud C will permit, when, by tilting itsidewise, one of the bottom corners will engage with the adjacent offset1), and thus sustain the door. To close the box, drop the door, whichwill wedge itself between the guides, and thus prevent the entrance ofdust.

Box-doors, as heretofore constructed, are frequently left open, and morefrequently lost by the jarring of the truck. This box is open to neitherof these objections, for even if the door be left elevated it will soonjar out of the offset when the train is in motion, and the stud preventsit from being detached from the box unless the stud be first removedfrom the box.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

In an axle-box, the door B, provided with beveled sides 0 and groove d,in combination with the wedge-shaped guide a, provided with offset 1)and the stop 0, all constructed, arranged, and operating substantiallyas described and shown.

JOHN B. SUTHERLAND.

Witnesses MARTHA STEWART, FREDERIOK EBERTS.

